This application claims benefit of Japanese Application No. 2000-333564 filed in Japan on Oct. 31, 2000, and Japanese Application No. 2001-136466 filed in Japan on May 7, 2001, the contents of which are incorporated by this reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tabletop white smoke generator which is placed on a table and can easily generate dry ice white smoke for enjoyment.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, white smoke (water vapor) has been generated by adding cold or warm water to dry ice during, for example, various types of shows such as musical performances, and parties, such as wedding receptions, to liven up the festivities with a cloud-like smoke that floats around the guests"" feet or flows down like a waterfall from behind them.
Devices used for generating this dry ice white smoke were generally large-scale devices that included a dry ice accommodation portion, a warm water supply device, and a ventilation device, for example, and which moreover directed large amounts of generated white smoke to desired locations using a piping system.
These large smoke-generating devices, however, had to be set up in a location separate from the event venue, and thus the white smoke had to be delivered to the event venue via a smoke conduit or blowers, for example, so that they were troublesome and expensive to operate, upkeep, and manage.
A white smoke generating device other than those devices in which the above piping system is used has been proposed in JP H06-166586A. This white smoke generating device includes a dry ice chamber inside and to the bottom of an outer casing, a warm water chamber inside and to the top of that outer casing, a connection path for delivering warm water from inside the warm water chamber down into the dry ice chamber, a stopper portion that can be removed from the outside of the outer casing, and a white smoke guide path in communication with the upper surface of the upper lid of the outer casing from the top portion of the dry ice chamber. A white smoke generator with this configuration can be directly placed in an event venue, for example, and moreover it has the advantage that it does not require a piping system or the like for delivering the white smoke.
In either case, however, the above white smoke generating devices using dry ice were large devices, and could not be casually placed on a tabletop to generate white smoke for entertainment. Moreover, with conventional white smoke generating devices using dry ice, hot water must be used so that when the dry ice is introduced to the water a large amount of water vapor white smoke is generated, and thus it is necessary to provide insulation for the hot water.
An object of the present invention is to provide a tabletop white smoke generator that can be placed on top of a dining table and with which large amounts of dry ice white smoke (vapor white smoke) can be generated easily which can be emitted or made of float around for entertainment purposes, and moreover which is capable of having a tray with a cake, for example, placed above its smoke generating portion without the generated smoke coming down on the cake.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a tabletop white smoke generator that uses dry ice, in which the tabletop white smoke generator has a simple structure with improved insulation for the hot or cold water for generating the dry ice white smoke, which does not cause heat-related damage to the table on which it is placed, and furthermore to which water drops do not stick, and which poses no harm, even if its outer surface is touched.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a tabletop white smoke generator which is configured so that when the dry ice and warm or cold water interact to generate a large amount of vapor smoke, the large amount of cold or warm water that is spattered does not come into contact with the table on which the generator is placed.
The tabletop white smoke generator of the present invention is provided with a water tank that is formed by a metal receptacle with an open upper side, in which an empty portion for vacuum thermal insulation is formed by the inner portion of a bottom portion and a sidewall, wherein hot or cold water can be filled into the receptacle; a dry ice accommodating receptacle that is formed into a receptacle with an open upper side, the receptacle being of a size that can be accommodated within the water tank, wherein dry ice can be accommodated in the receptacle; and a holding portion, which holds the dry ice accommodating receptacle above the water tank, and which with a specific operation can submerge the dry ice accommodating receptacle into the hot or cold water that has been filled into the water tank.
The tabletop white smoke generator of the present invention is provided with a water tank that is formed by a metal receptacle with an open upper side, in which an empty portion for vacuum thermal insulation is formed by the inner portion of a bottom portion and a sidewall, wherein hot or cold water can be filled into the receptacle; a flange extending outward from the top of the water tank, on which a tray can be set providing a gap for discharging the generated white smoke in a horizontal direction; a dry ice accommodating receptacle that is formed by a receptacle with an open upper side, the receptacle being of a size that can be accommodated within the water tank, wherein dry ice can be accommodated in the receptacle; and a holding portion, which holds the dry ice accommodating receptacle above the water tank, and which with a specific operation can submerge the dry ice accommodating receptacle into the hot or cold water that has been filled into the water tank.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become more clearly understood from the following description referring to the accompanying drawings.